University of Florida grads will walk a smaller stage, upsetting some

Monday

A new plan for commencement ceremonies at the University of Florida that will start with graduates in December has riled some students and touched off an online petition against the changes.

No longer will each graduate walk across the stage in front of hundreds of others, video playing on the mammoth scoreboard hanging between cheering families and friends at the Stephen O'Connell Center. However, all the graduates will gather in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, stand with their respective colleges, and then have their individual moments in ceremonies with their individual colleges.

While university officials aren't pointing to any specific reason for the change, it follows contoversy from commencement in May when a faculty member serving as marshall physically hurried several students off stage as they performed strolls associated with African-American fraternities and sororities. Afterward, students and groups including the NAACP protested the use of force. UF President Kent Fuchs acknowledged, "We failed; the University of Florida and I failed.”

Senior UF civil engineering major Brandon Lypher was among more than 3,000 students as of Monday afternoon who signed a change.org petition asking to restore commencement ceremonies to the previous tradition. The petition cited a number of reasons why the changes shouldn’t have been made — which included unnecessary financial hardships families who will have to attend two ceremonies, some students not being recognized going across the O’Dome stage and students not having a voice in the changes.

“Students are really upset that it’s not going to be what they had been anticipating for so long,” Lypher said. “And I can understand that even going here for four years and all of the sudden, at the very last minute, these changes are made and your graduation is not always what you have been expecting it to be.”

Lypher said students should have been given a voice to determine any commencement changes.

“That should be ultimately up to the students,” Lypher said. “I think maybe it should have been a vote.”

UF commencement director Stephanie McBride said the changes were made for the sake of making the ceremonies better and more efficient. Last May, McBride said more than 7,000 graduates took part in 10 ceremonies. There will be 14 different ceremonies this December.

"We're bursting at the seems," McBride said.

McBride said she spent the summer studying 34 different commencement ceremonies and patterned the changes after commencements at Ohio State, Texas, California-Berkeley, Indiana and Purdue, who all feature graduating class sizes similar to UF.

“We were trying to maintain a sense of tradition and formality,” McBride said. “But also celebration and recognition and try to have great speeches and all of that, and still trying to be time-efficient and not keep any ceremony above two hours.”

McBride said she feels students are upset because the message of commencement changes was not being communicated as clearly as it should have been.

“All colleges are doing a recognition ceremony,” McBride said. “So all students names are being called, all students are being individually recognized. So that’s not being taken away.”

But only four of the undergraduate colleges — Agriculture and Life Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Engineering and Business — will be holding their ceremonies at the O’Connell Center. Doctoral commencement also will take place at the O’Dome. Other colleges will gather at spots such as the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, Florida Gym and the University Auditorium.

“While I recognize some of those students may be upset that it won’t be in the O’Dome, at the end of the day I believe it’s about being recognized and celebrating with your friends and family,” McBride said. “That’s still happening and that’s still taking place regardless of what building you are in.”

The College of Journalism and Communications will be holding its ceremony at the Reitz Grand Ballroom. That didn’t sit well with some UF journalism school seniors, who took to social media to vent.

“The UF dream: To hear your name called at graduation and walk across the stage at the O’Connell Center, but that will not be happening this year,” UF senior telecom major Casey Albritton posted on Twitter.

“This may not seem like a big deal. But to many UF students it is. I have dreamt of walking across the O’Connell Center stage and having my 5 magical seconds of accomplishments and gratitude. And I know a lot of other students feel the same.”

So disappointing@UF... Your students pay THOUSANDS of dollars every semester to attend the university &amp; work COUNTLESS of hours day in &amp; day out for what? To not be recognized now for their hard work &amp; determination at their own graduation. I hope this changes, cause that’s sad.https://t.co/43s2DzG1gX

&mdash; Alexis Pastore (@alexismpastore)September 7, 2018

Senior Ashley Knott, an advertising major, said she’s upset about not being recognized in a larger setting.

“I’m the first generation to graduate so it was really important for me to have that moment, for my parents to see me graduate and hear my name and see me walk across the stage,” Knott said.

Knott said she’s OK with doing the individual recognition at the Reitz Union, “As long as it is serious as it should be for students, that should be fine,” she said. “It should be treated with respect that everyone sort of gets celebrated."

While the online petition is making its rounds in cyberspace, not everyone on campus Monday was outraged about the commencement changes.

“I respect and understand why it is a big deal to some students,” said Matt Fowler, a senior English and economics major. “Personally, it doesn’t mean as much to me. I’m just looking forward to graduating and getting my degree.”

The fall semester University Wide Graduation Cememony will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15, from 9-11 a.m at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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